Prime Minister Jüri Ratas (Center) said in a speech to fellow party members on Saturday that the Center Party’s goal needed to be to win the local elections in October. Other parties’ platforms were limited to going against Center, he added.

Ratas said at a meeting of the party’s extended leadership on Saturday that the goal needed to be to win the local elections later this year. As he put it, the Center Party needed to protect what it had achieved so far, as all the other parties’ platforms were based on was going against it.

“In a short time we have initiated five very important reforms, for which earlier there had been a shortage of courage, will, and skill,” Ratas was quoted by spokespeople as saying. The prime minister added that the party’s slogan for the upcoming elections is “Others promise, we do.”

According to Ratas, the healthcare reform is an important issue that will shorten queues and make it possible to raise the salaries of healthcare workers with #215 million in additional funding.

Another important issue was raising the sum of the tax-free minimum to €500 a month, so that people with lower incomes would have more money.

Under the Reform Party’s rule, tax dogmas had been in place that couldn’t be discussed. And because of that, important changes had not been not made, Ratas said.

Other important changes were the pension reform, the state reform, and a better life for farmers, for which the party stood, Ratas said.

He added that although the opposition attacked the government’s decisions, the reality was different. He referred to Estonia’s 4.4 percent economic growth in this year’s first quarter as well as Standard & Poor’s affirmation of Estonia’s high rating, and the increased popularity of parliament, government, and prime minister.

Ratas also talked about the election campaigns of the other parties, saying that their main goal was to confront the Center Party.

The Reform Party's parliamentary group in the Riigikogu decided on Monday to support Kalle Laanet's candidacy for the position of deputy speaker. This means that the group has turned on party chairman Hanno Pevkur, who will have to make way for Laanet. The decision follows yet another weekend of bickering and conspiracy theories inside Estonia's leading opposition party.